Greece is one of the most popular European countries to holiday in around the year. The landscape boasts vast greenery, ancient history and several islands with a view of the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern Europe.
The country is a cultural hub that has been popularised in many TV shows and films including the musical Mamma Mia. Greece is known as the cradle of Western civilisation and is located in the Balkans, between southern Italy and west of Turkey.
The sandy beaches of Greek islands attract many tourists looking to escape to warm climates and usually cheaper deals. The party and nightlife is also up to scratch making Greece an attraction for everyone from families to young people and couples.
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The most popular Greek holiday spots ranked in order according to searches from recent months on Google Trends are:
- Crete
- Rhodes
- Corfu
- Santorini
- Athens
- Mykonos
- Paros
- Naxos
- Thessaloniki
- Zakynthos
Crete
Crete is a popular island destination for UK travellers
(Image: Getty Images)
Crete is a popular island destination for cheaper holidays with all the benefits of the sunshine and sandy beaches. It is the largest island out of all the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Located in the eastern Mediterranean, Crete is surrounded by water and direct sunlight. Strips of beaches and resorts offer solace whilst boat trips to Santorini are available as well as visits to nearby ports and restaurants in Chania and Rethymno.
Crete is also home to the Venetian harbour, giving landscape views and architecture a stones throw away from Venice. The island offers Mediterranean climates with 20 degrees celsius around April and peaking at 29.5 degrees in July.
Rhodes
Rhodes island in Greece is the largest of the Dodecanese islands.
(Image: Tuul and Bruno Morandi)
Rhodes is the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands located to the south of Turkey. The island is known for being the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
It also boasts preserved medieval towns such as the citadel of Rhodes which was a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Ancient ruins and beach resorts populate the area along with its nightlife.
Bars are dotted along the streets of the old town as well as Hippocrates Square in Rhodes Town. Hotter temperatures hit Rhodes for April going up to 24 degrees celsius for Easter time.
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Corfu
The Canal d’Amour, also known as the Channel of Love, on Corfu.
(Image: Getty)
Corfu is an island in the Ionian Sea off the northwestern coast of Greece. Rugged landscapes with mountains and numerous resorts on the coastline define the holiday spot.
Corfu came under Greek rule in 1864 following periods under Venetian, French and British rule. As Greece is known for its cultural heritage and historical sites, Corfu also boasts medieval lanes, Venetian fortresses and even a grand Palace.
As well as sandy beaches, Corfu also has an old town and hosts a French-style arcade. Corfu, also known as Kerkyra, has temperatures going up to 23 degrees celsius for April and will gradually rise until it peaks at 32 degrees for July and August.
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Santorini
The romantic sunsets in Santorini, Greece
(Image: Sylvain Sonnet)
Santorini is popular for its mountainous ranges and cliff views overlooking crystal blue waters and romantic sunsets. The architecture boasts the colours of the Greece flag using bright white and blue tones that stand out in the sunshine.
It is one of the Cyclades Islands located in the Aegean Sea. A volcanic eruption in the 16th Century BC caused the infamous shape of the island’s rough but pristine landscape.
Santorini is also host to an array of beaches including ones made up of black, red and white lava pebbles. The weather here during Easter will remain around 20 degrees celsius and peak at 31 degrees in July.
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Athens
Popular ancient landmarks in Greece’s capital city, Athens.
Athens is the capital city of Greece boasting the architectural beauty of the country in its ancient history. Popular landmarks include the Acropolis and its museum, and the Parthenon to temples for the Greek Gods and Ancient Greek ruins.
The city’s Panathenaic Stadium is the world’s only white marble stadium making it a popular tourist attraction to visit. Audio tours are available to take in and around the multi-purpose stadium which hosted the Olympics in the 19th Century.
Marble busts and statues with athletic bodies and faces of Greek Gods are regular appearances in many spots around the city. Mount Lycabettus offers mountainous ranges with a chapel on the top and rewarding views overlooking Athens.
The weather here is around 20 degrees celsius for April, gradually climbing to 25 degrees for May and 30 degrees for June until it peaks at 34 degrees celsius in August.
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Mykonos
The 16th Century windmills stood on the hill of the old town in Mykonos.
(Image: Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
Mykonos is an island in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, like Santorini. This is also a popular destination and usually visited by celebrities alike.
The island is known for its party atmosphere which also attracts young people and big spenders. Paradise and Super Paradise are beaches loaded with bars and loud music whilst the island is accompanied by dance clubs with international DJs.
Landmarks can also be found on the island with a row of 16th Century windmills sat on a hill above Mykonos town. Temperatures remain below 20 degrees celsius for Easter time in Mykonos, although the sunshine and dry climate stays present.
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Paros
Paros island in the Aegean Sea
(Image: Getty)
Paros is another Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is known for its beaches and traditional villages with the bayside capital of Parikia.
Parikia is a boating and transportation hub for this region. The island also offers cultural and historical sites with a Byzantine church from 4th Century A.D.
From swimming coves to an array of bars and nightclubs in-between the villages of Naoussa and Parikia, Paros has it all. Pounda Beach is also popular amongst young people and particularly university students in the summer months looking to party in the sun.
Temperatures remain around 20 degrees celsius and below for April on the island.
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Naxos
Naxos Town, also called Chora or Hora, is thought to resemble Santorini.
(Image: ©2015 Sizun Eye)
Naxos is found in the South Aegean and is one of the largest of the Cyclades islands. It’s city boasts mountain villages and ancient ruins as well as beaches spread along the coastline.
A port town sits in the island’s capital of Hora, also known as Chora. The town has humble cube-shaped houses to grand Venetian mansions.
Kastro, a hilltop castle from the 13th Century also hosts an archaeological museum on the island of Naxos living up to the historical atmosphere of Greece. Temperatures on the island mirror the Mediterranean climate for April going up to 20 degrees Celsius.
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Thessaloniki
The Greek port city of Thessaloniki
(Image: Creative Commons – sofiagk)
Thessaloniki is a Greek port city on the norther Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. This location makes for more of a city escape, like Athens, unlike the other islands on the list.
The cities provide richer history and culture to explore with Thessaloniki hosting Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman remains. Ruins of the Roman Emperor Galerius’ 4th-century palace that has been used as a church and a mosque can also be visited.
Many ruins are dotted around the city as the city centre was mostly destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917 and has been rebuilt with some ruins preserved since. The weather will be sunny with lows of 16 degrees Celsius and highs of 22 degrees for Easter time.
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Zakynthos
Zakynthos is better known as the island Zante in Greece
(Image: Getty Images)
Zakynthos is an Ionian island, similarly to Corfu. It also goes by its Italian name, Zante.
Zante is more popular amongst the UK than the island’s Greek name Zakynthos. The island is known for its summer resort, a harbour city around the waterfront of Solomos Square and for its cheap but infamous nightlife.
It also hosts many beaches with plenty of water sport activities on offer. For the history lovers, a site of a 1980 shipwreck lays in the cove by Navagio beach which is reachable by boat.
The weather will also remain cool and sunny around the mid 20’s for Zante during April.
